Saturday, April 30, 2011

I also re-activated 2 expired listings.I've been working on the strip quilt this past week. I'm still in the process of getting it pinned and tied, but I do have the binding cut and made for the edging so it won't be long before I can list is as well.As far as my "shop" goes, that's all I've done. I've been very busy with my bog in general though, which hopefully will in time become my basis of business! I have been getting some reviews done, some including giveaways.

Oh...I started a fan page on facebook for my blog. I hope you will come and "like" me there. Marsha's Spot

Thanks for taking a look today. I hope you will click the button below and hop along with us with abitosunshine.

Info taken from the Sneak Attack Media client page:
French/Israeli pop-folk songstress, Yael Naim's highly anticipated new album SHE WAS A BOY set for release on TÔT OU TARD on May10th.

French-Israeli singer-songwriter, Yael Naim is poised for the release of her second album She Was a Boy on May 10 on tôt Ou tard. Entertainment Weekly notes that the new release exudes “…sprightly Joni Mitchell-goes-Dixieland charm,” while MTV Hive praises her “knack for fun, whimsical pop songs.” She Was a Boy is a collaboration with percussionist David Donatien and follows her self-titled debut, which featured the Billboard top ten charting single “New Soul.” The music video for Naim’s current single “Come Home” was recently premiered as an exclusive on the popular entertainment blog, Perez Hilton. Available here: Link. Yael will celebrate the release of her new album with special performances at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC on May 9 and at The Hotel Café on May 16 in LA.

Naim, who’s described by the Boston Globe as having a “warm, winsome voice,” recorded She Was a Boy with Donatien in a Parisian flat turned studio, where the two worked at their own pace in the intimate setting. The new album offers several collaborations with musicians including famed French jazz trumpeters Lionel and Stephane Belmondo, cellist Yoed Nir (Interpol, Regina Spektor and Rufus Wainwright), classical musician Thomas Bloch (Radiohead, John Cage, Damon Albarn/Gorillaz) and the French artist Tété.

Yael Naim is the first Israeli solo artist to have a Top 10 hit in the U.S with her 2008 single “New Soul” which garnered nearly 1.5 million downloads in the U.S for its placement in Apple’s campaign for their Macbook Air computer. She appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” CBS’s “The Early Show” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” with the success of her last album. She Was a Boy has already surpassed Gold status in France, and Naim has been awarded the “Victoire de la Musique” (France’s Grammy equivalent) for Best Female Singer, which she previously won for World Music Album of the Year in 2008.

My Review:
Admittedly, I wasn't sure about this album at first. However, the more I listened to it the more I loved it!

Tracks include:
1. come home
2. my dreams
3. she was a boy
4. go to the river
5. never change
6. i try hard
7. today
8. mystical love
9. man of another woman
10. puppet
11. stupid goal
12. if i lost the best thing
13. game is over

I don't really have a specific favorite on the album but will tell you about several of the songs. Track 1, Come Home, has a great beat to it, and the words are wonderful. Track 4, Go to the River, also has a good beat and the words mean something to me personally. Track 5, Never Change, to me has a country twang to the sound of the music and it's cool. Track 6, I Try Hard, is full of words that many can relate to. Track 8, Mystical Love, has lots of bass and is a toe tapping tune. Track 13, Game is Over, has some great keyboard going on.

Giveaway!!
Now for the fun part! One of my lucky blog readers will win a copy of Yael naim's She was a Boy album!

Contest begins Saturday April 30 and ends Satruday, May 14 9pm CST. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will have 48 hours after I contact them to reply or another winner will be chosen.
You must make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.

Share this review and giveaway on your own blog, on facebook, twitter, through gather, or any other website where it's allowed. (one entry for each different place where you share it, include the URL to where it is shared)

Place my button on your blog or website. (3 entries, 3 comments)

Most of all, have fun!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this album from Sneak Attack Media for the purpose of doing the review. All opinions are my own. Sneak Attack Media is providing the prize to one of my readers.

Good Thursday morning and welcome to this week's Squidoo Blog Hop. I hope to see lots of you link in your squidoo related blog posts this week and keep me busy hopping around squidoo.

My Toothbrush Rugs--Last week a challenge was put out by one of the Rocket Mom's to build a lens about a craft for me. Since generally we build lenses on crafts we've made as gifts, or crafts we make to sell, she wanted to see lenses about something we are making for ourselves. I'd been wanting to build a lens about the toothbrush rugs I make, and since I am currently working on one to put in our basement, it was perfect timing. It will updated along the way as my rug progresses. This one is going to be large and take me awhile to complete.

This Day in History April 24-- I wanted to build this on my birthday but didn't get to it until the following day. Another in my series of lenses. For now I am building for dates that mean something to me. Today is my son's birthday so a little later I will be doing today's history.

Looks like that is all I did this past week in squidoo. Hopefully this week I can start getting caught up on my review type lenses as well as get a couple more of the history ones built.

Good Wednesday to all! I have so many projects going on it's not even funny.

I got 2 more of the fabric bags completed and listed in my etsy store. I have 2 more since made to be listed before the end of the week. Only 1 more to finish of the bags...at least that I have the fabric for anyway. I don't have a photo of those.I am still working on the double thick hot pads. Half I will have for sale, the other half being donated for the craft table at the next church fundraising sale. I'm just working here and there on these.

I am working on a toothbrush rug for our basement rec room floor. This already is about as large as I've ever made one of these rugs. I have a long ways to go to make it as large as I want it for the floor down there. A challenge was put through the Rocket Mom's group on squidoo to build a lens about a craft project we are doing for ourselves. I hope you will check out my My Toothbrush Rugs lens. I will be updating it as my rug gets larger until it's done and on the floor down there!

I got busy and got the strips, cut, sewn, and ironed to make the binding for the strip quilt that I started before we moved. It's about time I get it completed. I hope to have the completed photo for you next week, and to have it listed in my etsy store!

I have finished sewing the strips on the squares that I am making for sewing club at church. I have 6 of the squares completely done. I have 10 more to cut down. I will have them sewn 4 into a square, ready to then cut the material for the edging by next week as well. I will cut the materials for in between and the edging, and get it sewn on at our next sewing club meeting May 10.

I must get started on projects for the new baby coming!! I have to look up crochet patterns as well as a pattern for a sling. I have a baby set in my 101 One Yard Wonders book that I also want to make. I am hoping to have most all of it completed by May 11 when we are having the baby shower. Think I can do it?? You can see the ticker at the bottom of my blog on Heathers progression in pregnancy.

I think that's it for this week...and yes, it's a lot! Everyday Crochet is busy doing other things, but I am including her button here. I have chosen 2 other WIP Wednesday's to participate in this week, and possible future weeks. I hope you will click all 3 buttons and check them all out!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

He Is We is an indie pop band from Tacoma, Washington. Rachel Taylor and Trevor Kelly met while working at a music store. They made fast friends, and realizing they both were musically inclined, becoming band mates was the next step.

They started by posting "Pardon Me" online. Once the song was getting thousands of hits per day they wrote more songs. They first took their songs on the road in early 2009 and they have been gaining fans ever since.

Calling themselves He Is We, they spent most of 2010 recording the 10 tracks you find on the My Forever album.
Tracks include:
1. Forever & Ever
2. All About Us
3. Everything You Do
4. And Run
5. Happily Ever After
6. Kiss it Better
7. Prove You Wrong
8. Blame it on the Rain
9. Love Life
10. Fall
Bonus track 11. And Run (acoustic version)

My take on the album: I love it!! The music is upbeat. My daughter and I have listened to this album over and over and when it's not playing, we are still finding ourselves humming or singing the words.
The words are easy to understand (unlike some music you try to listen to). The words are meaningful as well. I can see this album becoming a hit very quickly!
I can't even pick just one song that I like the best as I love them all. I also like that the lyrics are written inside the CD insert.

Enjoy this video I've chosen from youtube (you can watch another on the giveaway page too)

Now---for the giveaway!! This one is a little different as you will not comment on my blog to enter, but visit a website and share the story of your "Happily Ever After" moment. Contest starts today Tuesday April 26, 2011 and ends at midnight Tuesday May 10, 2011. Winner is chosen and will be contacted by Sneak Attack Media. Please clickHEREto enter!!

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of He Is We My Forever for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions of the album are my own. Sneak Attack Media is hosting the giveaway and has offer a copy of the album to one of my blog readers.

Monday, April 25, 2011

I had a nice mail call week! I thought Monday was so good that I took it's own photo. The rest trickled in throughout the week. The Covergirl campaign for bzzagent.com came in on Saturday...for review purposes later it has it's own photo as well.Here is what I got in this past week---Magazine:Sports IllustratedBloomsberg BusinessweekPeopleOk ( I did pay $2 for this subscription)Time

Other mail:10 pack of Tide Stain Release to try and review with free one load sample of Tide and couponSeamus the Sheltie to the Rescue to read and reviewFree drink coupon from Starbuckscoupon trainseveral pieces of hausernet mailenvie of coupons from online friend (thanks!)2 birthday cardsCovergirl bzz campaign kitKroger coupon booklet

In my email:$5 amazon from swagbucks (this came in 4/7 but I keep forgetting to list it)$20 total paypal from gather.29 paypal from youdata

Online Craft Mall

Buy Handmade or Sell Your Own!

Disclaimer

Some of my posts may be compensated reviews or posts. Or, I may have received a free product in exchange for sharing my opinion. All opinions posted by me are 100% my own regardless of compensation received.
Some posts may also include affiliate links.